Offering prizes for scientific achievements is hardly new.”It has been around for centuries,”said Karim R. Lakhani, a professor at Harvard Business School who has studied InnoCentive. One early example was the work of John Harrison, the 18th-century clockmaker who, in response to a prize offered by the British Parliament, solved the problem of determining longitude at sea by inventing a clock that would keep good time even in heavy weather.
From the New York Times:
“People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”
You might enjoy this article from the NYTimes
TO combat overload, we also need to look to our environments. That’s why a few pioneering companies are creating places or times for uninterrupted, focused creative thought. I.B.M. employees practice “Think Fridays” worldwide, avoiding or cutting back on e-mail, meetings and interruptions. Other firms are setting aside unwired, quiet rooms.
“Wisdom is the art of knowing what to overlook,” wrote William James, the father of American psychology research. Long ago, he identified the foremost challenge of our time: how to allocate our attention. And now, we’re beginning to discover what he foretold: that living distracted just isn’t smart.
from the Washington Post
Accidents lead to innovations. So, how do you create more accidents?
By ROBERT D. AUSTIN, LEE DEVIN AND ERIN SULLIVAN
July 7, 2008; Page R6Accidents happen. And, sometimes, innovation follows.
In fact, although we often don’t like to admit it, some of the most important innovations have happened by accident. Over the centuries, researchers have stumbled over hosts of big ideas and inventions while searching for something entirely different — or not searching for anything at all.
